cradledatacorefandomcom-20200214-history
Ashkathi Union
The Ashkathi Union is an interstellar nation descended from a religious movement on the planet Larine, in the Ashkai system. The Ashkathi Union is a member state in the Galactic Nations. History Ancient History 5,000 Earth years before the present, the denizens of Larine were a belligerent, almost cultureless people, but one individual named Ashkai managed to quell the fighting and turn their attention to the destruction they were causing to the environment. The followers of Ashkai began to call themselves Ashkathi, or "The Disciples of Ashkai". Over time, the Ashkathi managed to overturn every other religion on the planet. They were content to remain on Larine, believing that Larine was at the center of the universe, until the Day of Ascension (on the Gregorian calendar; June 10th, 2667). On this day, a strange metallic object fell from the sky, landing in a largely populated area. The object was an exploratory probe from another galactic power, and it was now that the Ashkathi discovered they were not alone in the universe. They quickly began to pool their resources and prepare for the vast journey to the Darkness Beyond in order to meet their visitor. In the Tenth Year of the Fourth Borellian Alignment (Approximately 3070 CE), they managed to get their first space station orbiting Larine: Point Grace. It was now that they came into contact with another alien power, which the Ashkathi believed were the ones who sent the probe on the Day of Ascension. However, they were scolded for their belief, and told to make their own destiny. Modern History In the years that followed the Day of Ascension, the Ashkathi have mostly remained undisturbed by the other races. In 3228, the Ashkathi colonized their first new planet, which they named Salorin, or "Frontier" in the Ashkathi language. By 3241, they had colonized five more systems, and in 3250 they established the Ashkathi Union to better govern the different worlds. However, the most major event that happened after that was a conflict known by the Ashkathi as the "Point Grace Incursion", which happened in 3432. Their homeworld's satellite base fell under attack by an enemy power, and since the peaceful Ashkathi had no true military at the time, the satellite nearly fell entirely. Then, however, the Minister of the Beyond at the time, Toth, decided to found the Brothers of Larine, and the attackers retreated. Their history has mostly been spotless after this incident, but the Ashkathi remained on their toes, in case another power attacks them. However, their fear of other races died down a bit by 3554, when the Ashkathi Union was asked to join the Galactic Nations. Honored by the outsiders, the Ashkathi accepted. Their fear was soon reinstated, however, when a Black Phalanx force made a terrorist attack on the Galactic Nations base of Tranquility. Government The planet Larine is a religious parliamentary democracy, governed by the Ashkathi High Council, a group of scholars and priests voted into power by the populace. The High Council is itself governed by the Board of Inquiry, whose job it is to check the power of the High Council. Every province or planet gets two representatives on the Board. If the High Council becomes corrupt, the Board of Inquiry has the sworn duty to remove the corrupt councilmen from power. Every province of Larine and every planet in the Union gets one delegate in the High Council, and each province or planet has equal say as to what goes on within the inner workings of the Ashkathi. Between planets, the Ashkathi Union has formed, led by the High Minister of the Beyond. The High Minister is also voted into power, and answers directly to the High Council. Recently however, due to a Black Phalanx attack on Tranquility, a sizeable movement has surfaced calling for extensive political and societal reform. This group is known as the Brotherhood of Larine. Foreign Relations The Ashkathi Union attempts to maintain cordial relations between itself and outside powers. In particular, the Ashkathi Union and its neighbor the Sirian Union have been negotiating trade between Larine and Siria, as well as the colonies thereof. Supporters of the Brotherhood of Larine have been making talks about hiring Sirian PMC's for protection. Military The Ashkathi are not a violent race by principle, but they do have various organizations built in case of attack by others. The most well-known Ashkathi military organization is the Brothers of Larine. These holy defenders were organized by High Minister Toth during the Point Grace Incursion, an invasion of the main space station by outsiders. The Brothers carry heatstaves, an Ashkathi-designed weapon which resembles an ornate metal staff. When activated, the ends heatstaves grow intensely hot, allowing them to burn flesh on contact and even fire streams of molten metal from the tips. They more often prefer to use non-lethal methods to deal with intruders, such as stun guns and net-throwers. All in all, Ashkathi view war as an absolute last resort. Infrastructure The planets of the Ashkathi Union mostly keep to themselves, and thus have differing infrastructure depending on where they are. However, most Ashkathi colony worlds (and Larine itself) are able to be told apart from other worlds by the presence of slip-tubes connecting bodies of water. These resemble huge clear plastic tubes filled with water, that allow the Ashkathi to travel between bodies of water where the main cities are. They mostly take the role of roads and transport vehicles, as they send water rushing through the tubes at high speeds. Another important bit of Ashkathi technology is the invention of the waterbelt. Before the waterbelt, the Ashkathi were limited to only leaving the water for a few minutes at a time. Now, with life-giving water running through the gills at their hips constantly, the Ashkathi are free to leave the water for up to a few months at a time if they must. To communicate across long distances, Ashkathi used to use a musical form of their own already melodic language that echoes across the depths like whalesong. Now with the advent of tele-communicators this is no longer necessary, but the Ashkathi language is described as incredibly beautiful and musical. Law Enforcement Ashkathi are not culturally a malignant people, so they have little need for enforcement within their own borders. For visitors to Larine or any of the Ashkathi colony worlds, there are troopers known as Protectors of the Homeland, or Protectors for short. These Protectors exist so that Ashkathi are not threatened by visitors. The Protectors can also function as police if need be, but this is rare, as crime committed by Ashkathi within their own borders is uncommon. However, if someone does commit a crime, they are put on trial before the High Council. The accused is brought before the council, and both sides of the story are heard by the Council. Then the Council votes on whether or not the accused is guilty, and if the accused is guilty, appropriate punishment is meted out. The punishment for most crimes is banishment to the wilderness. On Larine, most criminals are banished to the Gaaka trench. Violent crime, however, especially murder, is punishable by death. In the case that an outsider commits a crime in Ashkathi space, the outsider is detained and a trial is conducted with the High Council via a communication screen. If the outsider is found guilty, he is released to the custody of their home government, and the outsider is barred from ever returning to Ashkathi space. Economy On Larine, the Ashkathi practice a barter system, as they have since before the Day of Ascension. Between planets in the Ashkathi Union and the Galactic Nations, the Ashkathi have begun to use the shiny shells of a bivalve-like animal known as a daati as legal tender, often referred to in common usage as "shells". Talks have begun within the Ashkathi Union of converting to a coin-based economy, with "Shells" remaining the term. Culture Religion The Ashkathi are an artistic and incredibly spiritual people, believing in the interconnectedness of all living beings in the Songstream. In essence, smaller creatures are eaten by larger creatures, which themselves die and bring sustenance to the smaller creatures. Plant life is also similarly sacred. For this reason, their technology is designed specifically to not be harmful to the environment. The Ashkathi believes themselves to be on equal footing with every other sentient race in the Beyond, and every sentient race equal to each other. It is for this reason that the phrase "We are all one within the Stream" is as prolific as it is within the Ashkathi Union's borders, to the extent that is a common farewell. Customs When visiting another, it is customary for an Ashkathi to show their approval of food or other commodities with kalluu, a sort of whale-song duet between the host and guest. When dealing with outsiders, Ashkathi instead substitute this with gratuitous thanks and praise, making the Ashkathi seem humbler than they truly are. If you are given a gift by an Ashkathi, you are expected to respond like this, or be seen as selfish. Respect is a primary concern to the Ashkathi. Language The Ashkathi language is named Gaale. It is a language spoken slowly with drawn-out vowels and slurred consonants. It sounds much like whalesong, and when spoken underwater travels a great distance. It is very difficult to speak for humans, and outsiders wishing to learn the language are often taught Galactic Gaale, a shorter, faster version. Regardless, both languages are typically written in Ahtaatu characters, which are syllabic in nature. Folklore Much of Ashkathi folklore revolves around animals, such as the trickster figure Torra. One of the best-known Ashkathi fables is "Why Torra Chases the Kull". Prior to ascension, the monstrous gaaka-den, an animal native to Larine, was worshipped as a god of death. Territory The Ashkathi Union is comprised of around 12 systems colonized by the Ashkathi in the surrounding areas of their star cluster. They will only colonize a planet that has a surface area of over 80% water, meaning that Ashkathi will often live on planets that other races find uninhabitable without help. The Ashkathi Union's territory is a remote cluster on the frontier edge of Galactic Nations space. Music and art are some of the primary exports of Larine and the other Ashkathi systems, while they mostly import things like metal and peaceful technology. Planets *'Larine' (homeworld) *'Kandoraa' *'Salorin' *'Tehlana' *'Andarr' *'Soskella' Ship Classes *Ashkai class exploratory vessel *''Kull'' class science vessel *''Salorin'' class transport ship *''Aandas'' class yacht Category:Nations Category:Ashkathi Union